[PD-L1 expression is related with prognosis of small cell lung cancer]

Objective: To explore the correlation between programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods: The clinicopathological data of 64 patients with small cell lung cancer from January 2013 to December 2016 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The correlation between PD-L1 expression and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of SCLC was analyzed. Results: Immunohistochemical staining revealed that PD-L1 expression was observed in 60.9% (39/64) of patients with small cell lung cancer. PD-L1 expression was significantly related to stages (P<0.001). Univariate analysis showed that the median overall survival of PD-L1 negative group was longer than PD-L1 positive group (16 months vs 14 months, P<0.001). Median progression-free survival of PD-L1 negative group was longer than PD-L1 positive group(15 months vs 9 months, P<0.000 1). In multivariate analysis, PD-L1 positive was significantly correlated with inferior progression-free survival (P=0.006). Conclusions: PD-L1 expression rate was high in small cell lung cancer. PD-L1 expression was an independent predictor for poor prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer.